For local colleges, athletic facility improvement has become a big-money "arms race"

MIDLAND, MI -- During Saginaw Valley State's men's basketball game at Northwood University in February, Cardinals Athletic Director Mike Watson couldn't resist a peek behind the last door on the right in the Bennett Center hallway.

Behind the door, he saw the Timberwolves nearly completed $5 million, 55,000-square-foot indoor football practice facility, one of only a handful in Division 2 athletics.

Watson had to admit the facility was "very impressive." And he couldn't help but wonder what it meant for his instituion.

"If somebody wanted to make a case, just in the region, with Northwood opening up this new indoor facility, they could say, 'Oh heck, they're one-up on us, because they have this phenomenal indoor facility,'" Watson said.

"It's just the reality of our industry."

Such is life in the college athletic facilities arms race, an ongoing competition to build the biggest and best competition and training venues.

In the last 20 months, the four area colleges that participate in NCAA athletics -- SVSU, Northwood, Alma College and Central Michigan University -- have made seven significant athletic facilities upgrades, at a cost of more than $40 million combined.

By building new facilities, the schools stand to gain the commitments of the areas best high school players and potential future revenue streams.

And if they don't build new facilities, they stand to fall behind competitively, and leave future athletic success and revenue on the table.

"This whole facility arms race thing, I don't know if it's gotten out of control, but if you want to continue to be able to recruit great kids, then you've got to continue to upgrade your facilities," Watson said.

For SVSU and Northwood, two schools that sit 20 miles apart and compete in the same conference, the last 18 months have been a case study in the facility upgrade race that is common throughout college athletics nationwide.

Just before the 2010 football season, Northwood opened a renovated weight room and training room. Saginaw Valley State finished a similar weight room upgrade just before the 2011 season.

Saginaw Valley State unveiled its renovated stadium last August, including new lights, turf and a video board. Northwood athletic director Pat Riepma said he hopes to complete a similar project in the near future, along with a renovation of the Bennett Center.

And after Northwood opened its 55,000-square-foot indoor football practice facility earlier this month, Watson hinted a similar facility could be on his wish list.

SVSU also spent $300,000 to renovate the Gerstacker Aquatic Center and has upgraded its baseball and softball complex and its men's soccer field within the last five years.

Central Michigan and Alma have also gotten into the mix, with both opening up new basketball venues that together cost upwards of $30 million.

Add it all together, and the Great Lakes Bay Region's college athletes have better training and competition facilities now than they have ever had before.

"We want to give our student-athletes every opportunity to be successful," Riepma said. "That's why facilities are important. We want them to dream big, and these facilities will allow them to do it."

Northwood finances its new athletic facilities exclusively through private donations — the timeline of adding lights and turf to their football field largely depends on how quickly the funds can be raised.

Saginaw Valley State has financed several of its projects through private funding, as well. The school's weight room project was funded by Todd Herremans, a former SVSU star now with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the pool was financed by a grant from the Gerstacker Foundation.

But the school has also been willing to dip into its general fund for facilities upgrades, most notably for its $1.2 million Wickes Stadium renovation.

"Our senior administration has been very, very helpful to us in athletics," Watson said.

The payoff

Recruiting is often called the "lifeblood" of a college athletic department. And it lies at the top of the list of reasons to sink millions of dollars into new athletic facilities.

Saginaw Valley State football coach Jim Collins said that while academic programs are the most important factor for most recruits choosing between schools, winning tradition and facilities are typically second and third.

View full sizeSaginaw Valley State's Wickes Stadium following its renovation

"It's definitely one of the most important things in most of the recruits' eyes," Collins said of facilities. "What we've done here in terms of the football stadium, the turf, the video board and then the weight room, those are all big things."

Since the Cardinals updated their weight room and football field, Collins said they are an even more integral showcase item during recruiting visits. Collins keep photos of last season's home games on hand, to show recruits what the new Wickes stadium looks like with 8,000 fans on hand to watch games under the lights.

In the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, recruiting can take on a particularly competitive nature due to geography. The conference has six schools in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, and two more in the Upper Peninsula. A Division 2-caliber recruit in the state likely has two or three GLIAC schools within a few hours drive from home.

That means proximity to home is a benefit few programs can boast exclusively, and schools must find other ways to stand out. Facilities is one of them.

"Everyone is trying to have something that's going to differetiate them from the other school, because of the fact that it's so competitive," Collins said. "In this state alone, you've got some really, really good Division 2 football programs. Because of that, you have to figure out a way to differentiate yourself."

While some facilities enhancements put schools ahead of the curve, others are done simply to keep up. According to the GLIAC, Northwood is the only school in the conference that plays its home games on natural grass. They are one of only two schools, along with Wayne State, that doesn't have lights.

But they are also one of only two schools, along with Grand Valley State University, to boast an indoor turf practice facility.

On top of recruiting benefits, new facilities can also open new revenue streams. A turf field can support more activities than a grass one without wearing out, and Watson said SVSU plans to increase the number of high school games played at Wickes Stadium, and lure other events.

Riepma said Northwood is currently exploring the possibility of renting out its new indoor turf building to outside groups.

And the new facilities that host competitions can help draw more fans to campus. The Cardinals were 21st in the country last year in average football attendance, at 6,573. That marks an increase of more than 800 fans from their 2010 average.

"I can think of numerous conversations that I had this fall with somebody at a football game that was the first time they had ever been to an SVSU football game," Watson said.

"Here we are"

While seeing what's being built down the road may be an external motivator, administrators also say the condition of their current facilities plays a large role in facilities decisions.

In planning and building new facilities at Northwood, which also include a new academic center, Riepma said seeing what others schools did was a "non-factor."

"We want to take care of the young people at Northwood," Riepma said.

But in building one of the only indoor turf buildings in Division 2 athletics, Riepma also put his school in the middle of a new wave of facilities upgrades.

"My guess would be that 10 years ago, people in the GLIAC or Division 2 athletics, en mass, weren't talking about indoor facilities," Watson said. "Here we are."